1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective cover kit for a marine propeller having a protective cover in which a user facilitates remote removal and having a shift control warning attachment in which a user installs to prevent inadvertent shifting prior to the removal of the protective cover. The present invention relates particularly to a protective cover having a release apparatus located thereon whereby a user applies a force to an end of the release apparatus from a distance away from protective cover thereby releasing the associated attaching element to uncover a marine propeller.
2. Background Art
An anti-fouling protective cover is placed around a marine propeller to prevent barnacle growth and to prevent other contaminants or organisms from coming into contact with a propeller. Formerly, protective covers are seen to incorporate excess parts including pockets, pairs of sleeves, and stiffening members as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,174.
Thus, there is a need for a protective cover with an improved attaching method whereby eliminating the need for additional parts, stiffening members, pairs of sleeves, pockets, and eliminating the associated costs for manufacturing these parts.
Prior art propeller covers are seen to incorporate a hinge with a latch and an eyelet as a method of locking the protective cover at the site of the marine propeller unit as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,345. This requires that the respective parts be disassembled by the user at the site of the marine propeller to facilitate the protective cover removal. In addition, the locking assembly may fail, rendering the protective cover inoperable.
There are several drawbacks to removing a protective cover at the site of a marine propeller. The most obvious drawback is a user being exposed to the surrounding water while releasing the attaching element of the protective cover of a submerged propeller. A second disadvantage is a user manually facilitating release of the protective cover's attaching element. This makes the removal of the protective cover more difficult and increases the time required to complete the removal.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 386,466 shows and describes a marine propeller cover having a flexible material with a central opening and a drawstring closure around the circumference of the central opening. This design is not remotely releasable from a propeller due to the absence of a release system. There is no release apparatus and there is no releasable attaching element or slit incorporated onto the protective cover to allow for a user to remove the cover without physically coming into contact with the surrounding water while the propeller is submerged. The improved remote removal eliminates the need for a user to occupy the submerged site of the marine propeller while performing the acts of releasing the protective cover from a distance above the surrounding water.
According to Prop Pak. 19 Jun. 2011 <http:www.proppak.com>, describes an underwater propeller cover designed to be removed from a marine propeller from above the surface of the water. This Prop Pak is described as having a propeller cover with an open end for receiving a propeller and a slit for sliding past the shaft, a clamp to secure the open end of the cover in a closed configuration, and a webbing to release the cover from the propeller from above the waterline. This propeller cover's open end requires that the fabric be gathered and secured together with an attaching bias such as a clamp. The attaching bias may fail, rendering the propeller cover inoperable. Also, the act of gathering the fabric of the propeller cover and securing it closed with a clamp is time consuming and is not effective at preventing contaminants from reaching the propellers as described below. First, a user may gather the fabric incorrectly, allowing the propeller to be exposed to water and contaminants. Next, the act of gathering the fabric does not create a tight seal to block contaminants from reaching the propeller.
Hence, there is a need for a protective cover with an attaching element such as a series of hooks and loops which will seal the protective cover and not leave any portion of the cover open. The improved attaching method will eliminate the need for additional parts such as a clamp and eliminate the extra step requiring a user to gather fabric at an open end of the cover to secure it closed.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, there is still a need for a protective cover kit having a protective cover with an improved release apparatus facilitating remote removal of a protective cover and having a warning attachment for the shift control lever. It is problematic that a boat engine may be started before removing the propeller cover. This would cause the propeller cover to become tangled around the hub or shaft and cause the boat to become inoperable. A warning attachment is installed by a user onto the control lever to prevent unintentional shifting prior to the removal of the propeller cover.